Phantasm
by Copper Tragic
Summary: Five-year-old Estel has a nightmare. PG for slightly gruesome images


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Phantasm

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Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any characters and/or places thereof

Author's Note: I might actually turn this into a longer story, tell me if you want that and I'll work on it. If not, this one goes pretty well on its own.

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Estel shuddered and clutched the pillow closer to his chest. His tears were falling now, silently sliding down his cheeks, landing mostly on the pillow with small _plunk_ sounds. It was all Estel could do to keep from crying out. He chewed hard on his lower lip and hugged the pillow closer, rocking back and forth. "No. . .no. . .no. . ." he moaned softly. His rhythm slowly increased, and Estel began to hit the headboard as, with speed picking up, so did distance. _Thump, thump, thump, thump_. . .

A new emotion was welling inside of Estel. He had dreamed this dream before: it was a memory, he suspected. The worst part was not the dream, nor what he saw, but what he did not see. In the dream Estel, quite younger than he was now, slept deeply. Suddenly harsh sounds and cries of his friends, of people he knew and trusted, awoke him, and with a start young Estel fell to the ground. It hurt, and he was young enough to cry over it, but at the same time scrambled for the opening in the tent. . .

Estel never did draw back that curtain. He knew, in his heart, that he never drew it aside. That only made things worse. It happened in the dream as it had in his memory: a man staggered in, with an arrow in his face, blood covering him, and he spoke to Estel, called him by his name--by what name? Estel knew not which name he was called by. He could not remember. He could also not remember who the man was, but he felt as though he should, as though this man was somebody very important.

Estel screamed. He could not help it any longer. It was a wordless shout of raw emotion, escaping his lips before he could think, scratching at his throat. Estel clamped a hand over his mouth and another, allowing the pillow to fall to the floor. His breathing was ragged, and he had to remove his hands to get enough air. "No. . ." he moaned again, and the shaking began, full-body shivers and shudders instead of the earlier rocking.

Outside, the wind howled, slapping rain against the window. In the darkness Estel could see naught but the stars. What could be out there? What could be just between him and that thin sheet of glass? Every time, in the dream, Estel managed to pull back the curtain, something terrible was behind it. He never recalled the image, but fear always remained, a knot in his throat and chest. His heart hammered. He whimpered through chattering teeth as the rain assaulted the window.

Suddenly the pane shattered. Estel cried out again then was mute with fear. Glass fragments flew everywhere. The boy curled up into a tiny ball and hid in the corner of the bed, praying and hoping that nothing would come in, nothing would hurt him, but if it was going to, would it please just finish the job and end this terrible fear?

The latter did happen, but it was not some terrible creature that had come. "Estel?" Elrond asked quietly, gently laying a hand on the back of the shivering child. "What is it, Estel? What's wrong?" The room was alight from the candle Elrond had brought, and had set on the bedside table.

"_Ada_," Estel said, wrapping his arms around Elrond's neck and burying his head in the Elven Lord's shoulder. And then, because everyone had heard him already and emotion had overcome him, Estel began to sob, crying outright and fully. "_Ada_," he sobbed.

"Hush, Estel, it is all right," Elrond soothed, trying to quiet the child without much success. Estel cried harder, if anything. Elrond just sat, rubbing Estel's back, knowing that in his own time he would speak, if he wished.

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"Ada," Estel whimpered, clutching Elrond's tunic fearfully.

"Shh, Estel," Elrond said, gently taking Estel's arms and holding the boy, looking into his face. "There is nothing to frighten you now. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." Estel kept sobbing nonetheless, but more patiently now, just excess tears flowing as Estel rubbed them away. Elrond cradled the boy's head in one hand, and Estel flinched. "What is it?" Estel shook his head.

"I'm scared," Estel said finally.

"Of what?" Elrond asked, smoothing Estel's hair with his hand, careful not to touch the bruised spot.

Estel blushed and looked away, saying quietly, "_Ada_, the window's broken."

"I can see that," Elrond said with a nod. He was very curious as to how the fragmented glass had come to be, but a hysterical child was of more importance. "Would you like to go somewhere where there is not a broken window?"

"Yes please," Estel said very quickly, nodding his head with great enthusiasm. "But if we go away, what could come in through the window?"

"A squirrel," Elrond replied, "more rain, a bird. Nothing foul."

"All right," Estel agreed, but was far too frightened to step off the bed without Elrond holding his hand. Out in the hall Estel shivered from cold, and because there were deep shadows into which he could not see. He clutched his father's hand very tightly, and tried to be brave. Because he could sense Estel's terror Elrond paused, dropped Estel's hand, then lifted the boy and carried him the remaining distance to his own room down the hall. Sitting on the bed in the brightly lit room, Estel was not afraid any longer, and he smiled, bouncing.

"It is good to see you happy again," Elrond said.

"I had a bad dream," Estel said finally. "And there were scary noises. . .it was all so loud and confused. . .and then there was a man with an arrow. . ."

"An archer?"

"An arrow _in_ him," Estel said, pointing to his own eye. "He came into the tent and he said my name, but it wasn't my name, it was another name. . .but it meant me. . ." Elrond nodded. He knew of what Estel spoke. "Then I went outside, only this is the part where the dream changes--"

"You have had this dream before?"

"Oops." Estel blushed, and was quiet. He had not meant to sound babyish, only he had had the dream so many times, and it always frightened him so. . ."Well. . .I have. . .once or twice. . .or a lot more times. . .I think may be it really happened?"

"That may be so, Estel. That may well be so." Elrond contemplated for a moment what would happen if Estel ever recalled the name by which that man spoke to him, if he ever realized what that name meant. He would know in due course, but not before. Not yet, for certain. Coming out of his reverie, Elrond noticed that Estel was trying to stifle a yawn. "I have to go see about that window, Estel. Do you think you can fall asleep in here?" Estel nodded. "All right then." Elrond waited until Estel had squirmed sufficiently, then tucked the covers around him and said, "Good night, Estel."

"Good night, _Ada_," Estel returned, already half asleep.


End file.
